Combined bench and blackboard



May 23, 1939. c. E. BEEMAN COMBINED BENCH AND BLACKBOARD Filed Dec. 15, 1937 Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates. to an adjustable and collapsible bench in combination with a board to receive writing, commonly called a blackboard.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a combined device of the character set forth which can be readily folded so as to occupy a minimum space for storage or other purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable and collapsible bench and writing board which can be adjusted to several heights and locked in adjusted positions. Other objects of the invention will appear as the description progresses. The drawing is intended merely to indicate a possible embodiment of the invention.

It is obvious that the actual needs of manufacture may necessitate certain mechanical changes. It is therefore not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated, but rather to define such limits in the appended claims. For a more specific understanding of the invention attention is called to the drawing in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of the combined device which forms the subject matter of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof showing the difierent positions of the parts in full and dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the device in m folded position.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is an end view of the device.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be noted that my device or bench is provided with a sectional top, and the numerals IA and IB designate the top sections or members, the member IA being fixed while the member IB is hinged to m the inner end of the member IA for free swinging movement to the full and dotted line positions of Figure 2, and when in its dotted line position, it rests upon a seat member I3 disposed below the plane of the top member IA.

45 Hinged to the underside of the top member IA and the seat member I3 for adjustment and to be folded with respect to the top are legs 2, and a rib 3 is fixed to the underside of the top member. IA and seat member I3 for disposal along 50 the longitudinal centers thereof, as best shown in Figure 2. Hinged to the rib 3 is an elongated support 4 for the legs and the support is coextensive with the rib. The legs are provided with centrally arranged slots 5 extending from the up- 55 per ends thereof for a portion of their height to receive the curved ends 6 of the support for slidable movement thereon and to be secured thereto, in that the curved ends 6 are provided with a series of kerfs or slots 1 into which fit the cammed ends 8 of wedge plates 9 that are 5: pivotally secured to the legs 2 for disposal across the slots 5 to be received in the kerfs, as best shown in Figure 5. In Figure 2, the legs are shown in vertical position in full lines, for supporting the bench at its greatest height. In that position, the legs abut against shoulders II! at the inner ends of the curved ends 6 and are held accordingly by the plates 9 being wedged in the kerfs I nearest to the shoulders. When it is desired to lower the bench, the legs are moved outwardly as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 and the plates 9 are then wedgedinto another set of slots, thus it will be seen that the device can be readily adjusted as to height and held in any of its adjusted positions.

When the top member I B is raised, as shown in full lines in Figure 2, a pair of parallel ribs I4 which are fixed to the underside of the top member IB and extend inwardly beyond the hinged 25 end thereof strike and rest upon the outer ends of a pair of parallel abutment strips I5 that are fixed to the rib 3 and the seat member I3, and extend inwardly from the inner end of the seat member, to cooperate with the ribs I4 to hold the top member IB in its raised position at an inclined angle with respect to the seat member. It will be noted that the seat member is laterally reduced toward its inner end as best shown in Figure 3 to provide spaces upon opposite sides thereof for receiving the legs of the user. When the top member IB is in its normal or dotted line position of Figure 2, the confronting ends of the ribs I4 and strips I5 are disposed in engagement with each other and are beveled for fitting association, as clearly shown in Figure 2.

The underside of the top member IB is painted or otherwise prepared in the form of a blackboard to write or draw on as will be apparent, and when the top member IB is disposed to its full line position of Figure 2, the underside will be in convenient reach of the user to write thereon when seated upon the seat member I3.

' From the foregoing description and disclosure 5 of the drawing, it will be readily seen that when the member IB is in its horizontal position or resting upon the seat I3, my device can be used as a bench which is adjustable as to height and when the top member IB is in its raised position, the device can be used for writing upon the blackboard.

The hinge members and particularly those of the hinges II for the legs are held together with cotter pins I2, so that the legs may be separated from the top, as a matter of convenience when shipping.

It will be further seen that I have provided a simple and eflicient combined device in the form of a bench which can be readily adjusted as to height and folded or collapsed to occupy a minimum amount of space, and the device is also rigidly constructed so as to be capable of supporting maximum weight without fear of casual folding or collapsing thereof.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A foldable bench comprising a top, legs hinged to the top and having slots extending from the upper ends thereof for a portion of their height, leg supporting means hingedly connected with respect to the underside of the top and extending along the longitudinal center thereof, said leg supporting means having curved outer ends with kerfs therein, said curved ends being receivable in the slots for movement of the legs thereon to folded position against the top or to adjusted positions at an angle with respect to the top to vary the height of the bench, and means carried by the legs for disposal in any of the kerfs for holding the legs in their adjusted positions.

2. A foldable bench comprising a top, legs hinged to the top and having slots extending from the upper ends thereof for a portion of their height, a rib secured to the underside of the top along the longitudinal center thereof, a leg support hinged to the rib and being coextensive with the length thereof, said leg support having curved outer ends with kerfs extending therein along the curved surfaces thereof in equi-distantly spaced relation with respect to each other, said curved ends being receivable in the slots for movement of the legs thereon to folded position against the top or to adjusted positions at an angle with respect to the top to vary the height of the bench, plates having curved cammed ends and secured to the legs to bridge the slots for disposal of the curved cammed ends in any of the kerfs for holding the legs in their adjusted positions, and shoulders formed on the leg support at the juncture of the curved ends thereof for disposal in the path of the legs to cooperate with the plates for holding the legs in a vertical position.

3. A foldable combined bench and writing device, comprising a sectional top including a stationary top member, a seat member disposed in a plane below the top member, means secured to the underside of the top member and seat member for holding them relatively fixed, a movable top member hinged to an end of the stationary top member and movable to a position at an inclined angle to the seat member or to a position in alignment with the stationary top member to rest upon the seat member, the underside of the movable top being prepared to provide a writing surface for use when the movable top member is in its inclined position, abutment means on the movable top member and the seat member respectively to hold the movable top member in its inclined position, and legs secured to and depending from the stationary top member and the seat member.

4. A foldable combined bench and writing device comprising a sectional top including a stationary top member, a seat member disposed in a plane below the top member, means secured to the underside of the top member and seat member for holding them relatively fixed, a movable top member hinged to one end of the stationary top member and movable to a position at an inclined angle to the seat member or to a position in alignment with the stationary top member to rest upon the seat member, the underside of the movable top member being prepared to provide a writing surface for use when the movable top member is in its inclined position, ribs secured to the underside of the movable top member and extending from the hinged end thereof, abutment strips secured to said means and the seat member respectively and arranged in the path of the ribs for engagement of the latter therewith to hold the movable top member in its inclined position.

CLARENCE ELDRED BEEMAN. 

